Google admits to anti-competitive phone search installations

Google has admitted to anti-competitive behaviour in striking deals with Telstra and Optus to only install Google Search on new Android phones.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Comission (ACCC) is taking Google to the Federal Court, with Google admitting fault and agreeing is should pay a penalty of $55 million.

According to the ACCC, the essence of the wrongdoing is that Google struck deals with Telstra and Optus — between December 2019 and March 2021 — to exclusively pre-install Google Search on the phones. Google then paid the telcos a cut of advertising revenue generated from search on those phones.